A/HRC/43/68 economic and social rights and lead to violence in many parts of the world. Inequalities, such as in income, access to resources and access to justice, constitute fundamental challenges to the principles of equality and dignity. Corruption, poor governance, lack of strong human rights-based institutions and discrimination of all types are root causes of violations and impediments to the enjoyment of all human rights. 2. Effective technical cooperation is focused on building and strengthening national frameworks and institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights. 40. The term “national frameworks and institutions” incorporates the whole range of mechanisms available to States to fulfil their international human rights obligations. It includes the rule of law, legal and political accountability, democratically elected parliaments, independent courts, independent national human rights institutions, national development institutions, strong civil society organizations and protection of the civic space. An effective technical cooperation strategy is one directed towards the strengthening of those mechanisms to ensure that national frameworks and institutions are able to effectively promote and protect human rights and can function sustainably even when the technical support comes to an end. Technical cooperation must be focused explicitly on the establishment and strengthening of national human rights institutions in compliance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles). 3. Effective technical cooperation should reflect national development objectives to ensure the highest levels of ownership and sustainability and to respond to genuine national interest, commitments and efforts in the promotion and protection of human rights. 41. On the one hand, for technical cooperation in the field of human rights to have effective and sustainable results, it must be closely aligned with national development objectives. On the other hand, sustainable socioeconomic development hinges on a human rights-based approach. The human rights-based approach is both a perspective and a process that can lead more directly to increased enjoyment of human rights and socioeconomic development. Development processes are increasingly focused on the enjoyment of rights, based on the convictions that human rights and development are closely interrelated and mutually reinforcing and that the respect of human rights is critical for the sustainability of development, as set forth in the 2030 Agenda. 4. The formulation and implementation of technical cooperation programmes should be based on the broadest possible participation of all elements of national societies and, where relevant, should also be linked with regional and sub-regional human rights mechanisms. 42. Effective technical cooperation must be based on the broadest possible participation and consultation with all the elements of national society, a key element to achieving two key objectives of technical cooperation, namely, to improve the promotion and protection of human rights for all and to ensure the sustainability of outcomes. Participation should be understood as an inclusive term that refers to engagement with all relevant actors in all the stages of the technical cooperation process, from needs assessments to the design, formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the impact of those programmes. It should be noted that both the process and the outcome are equally important and mutually interdependent. Participation is a fundamental human rights principle – a human right in itself – and central to the efficiency and sustainability of development efforts, including through technical cooperation and assistance. 5. Technical cooperation should be linked to the follow-up on the implementation of the recommendations and concluding observations made by international human rights mechanisms. 43. The existing international human rights standards and protection framework defines the fundamental human rights norms that should be respected and protected. To be effective, technical cooperation programmes in the field of human rights should, therefore, 10